The old-timers I used to work with called woodworkers "mechanics." If, as the dictionary says, a mechanic is "a manual laborer or artisan," then I guess the term fits. On this woodworking blog I share photos and thoughts about my projects past and present. I wholeheartedly welcome your comments, questions, criticisms, and reflections!

Friday, September 29, 2006

Pembroke Table

I began work on this federal Pembroke table in the early spring of 1999. It is a close reproduction of a table from the Kaufman collection, a private collection of American furniture exhibited at the National Gallery of Art in 1986 and catalogued in American Furniture From the Kaufman Collection by J. Michael Flanigan.

The table's serpentine top is characteristic of New York pembroke tables.

The drawer is pulled from the underside so that it appears to just be an apron. I love hidden things like that. The drawer face is veneered with crotch mahogany. Other inlaid elements include boxwood and ebony stringing as well as satinwood panels. The original table had urn and swag details where I put the satinwood. Urns and swags are a bit fussy for my tastes.

This photo details what I was talking about with the drawer. It also shows the many bandings that follow the perimeter of the serpentine top. To get the boxwood and ebony to bend along the tight corner radius, I soaked them, then gently bent them around a guitar side-bending iron.